Dave LaRock thinks the rules don’t apply to him. Again.

Unauthorized use of Catoctin Creek Distillery image in Dave LaRock campaign mailer

Unauthorized use of Catoctin Creek Distillery image in Dave LaRock campaign mailer

Another campaign mailer from Dave LaRock arrived at our house. It contained some photos from local businesses, with the tagline “Dave LaRock: Helping small businesses. Creating jobs.” The implication, of course, is that those pictured endorse his candidacy; that’s not unusual. But it turns out that Mr. LaRock did not seek authorization to use the photos.

Scott Harris, the owner of Catoctin Creek Distillery and pictured below in the green shirt, was forced to politely correct the record in a letter to the Purcellville Gazette:

Catoctin Creek Distillery on Political Endorsements

Recently, a campaign flier was distributed showing my image and speaking with one of the candidates for delegate of our district. I would like to clarify that Catoctin Creek is an independent organization, and does not support political candidates formally.

We have had the pleasure of meeting both candidates in this election, and we were happy to show each of them our facility and explain the nuances of our small business and its particular challenges.

We wish both candidates the best of luck in the election, noting that Catoctin Creek is not endorsing any particular candidate in this election.  It is our wish simply to encourage people to get out and vote, no matter their politics.

Scott Harris
Owner, Catoctin Creek Distillery
Purcellville

As Mr. Harris says, his business does not endorse candidates, and we don’t know his political leanings one way or the other. He granted us permission to use the above image because we asked him.

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Mr. LaRock would engage in this entitled behavior. It’s the same pattern we’ve observed all along: He doesn’t accept that the ordinary rules of conduct for other people apply to him. The unauthorized use of a private citizen’s image in a campaign mailer is just the tip of his Special Rights iceberg. A few weeks ago some local musicians performed at a fundraiser for his opponent Mary Daniel; Mr. LaRock felt entitled to invent a fake logo which he then falsely attributed to them, defaming both the band and Ms. Daniel with juvenile name-calling. Last year, Mr. LaRock saw a business sign he didn’t like posted along road frontage on the business owner’s property. Rather than allowing the lawful enforcement of our sign ordinance to proceed, he felt entitled to take the law into his own hands and enter the business owner’s property to steal and destroy her sign. This is not a man who has respect for the rights of other people, or for lawful, democratic processes that get in the way of what he wants. Be advised.

1 thought on “Dave LaRock thinks the rules don’t apply to him. Again.

  1. Ethan

    I want to applaud Pariahdog for the excellent and insightful prose. Dave LaRock is an elitist who believes the rules do not apply to him. His record as a local businessman reiterates that fact over and over. His company “LaRock Builders” routintely violates county and state building code and zoning requiremetns by either not getting the permits at all and performing construction or never having inspections done. This information is all documented in the County permit system and will as investigations done by the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation. Documents reveal that LaRock and his company frequently obtain permits under false pretenses, have building code violations levied against them, sanctions from the State, and even provided inaccurate information to real estate agents which resulted in the agents being fined for not checking the validity of the information LaRock provided. On taxes, one only need to look at his property tax records. LaRock claims on his taxes to have a house of a certain size with no finished basement, but in a 2008 magazine article for Solutions at Home magazine shows off his palatial estate of over 10,000 square feet and finished basement with sauna, popcorn machine etc. He claims on his taxes a 1.5 Story horse barn – which is actually a fully functioning office a living space which has no building permits, zoning, or occupancy permits for such a structure. Why would he do this…to keep his taxes low. Dave LaRock is not what the 33rd needs, it is what the 33rd needs to get rid of.

Comments are closed.